There is some disagreement about what makes a Major Race and exactly which species are major races. A Major Race is generally defined as one that independently developed jump drive technology, allowing vastly more efficient interstellar travel. While it is generally agreed that there are six Major Races, how they are specifically defined varies quite a bit. All races that are not Major Races are Minor Races by default.

Even within Charted Space, this is understood to be a somewhat arbitrary distinction and something generally used for promoting the status of one's own race or diminishing that of another sophont species.

The Aslan are a bipedal species of slightly larger than a human. They are a species with a high level of sexual and cultural dimorphism. They are also intensely loyal, honorable, ordered, and full of a deep level of respect for nature and life that many admire. While at the time of the Imperium there was little or no dispute as to their status as a Major Race, during the Rebellion period it was alleged that the Aslan had attained jump drive through reverse-engineering a crashed Solomani vessel (similar to how the Geonee achieved jump technology -- see below), and allegedly and technically are thus not a Major Race if these allegations are true.

The Droyne are a short, lithe, and agile race of flyers with a mysterious past and lineage. They are known to possess a certain psionic aptitude as well as advanced technology that is wildly different from all other races.Though the oldest of the jump capable races, the Droyne were the last to be recognized as such probably because they do not have any empires or regions controlled by their race. The race is scattered across known space. Droyne control some worlds but also share some with other races. The Droyne homeworld is unknown though it is speculated it is probably in the Spinward Marches Sector of the Imperium, as this is where the greatest concentration of Droyne worlds are found.

Scholarship late in the Third Imperium largely confirmed the Chirpers, originally thought to be a separate race, have been identified as a Droyne that have reverted back to a primitive form.

There are many Droyne governments and they tend to be variations on a Hegemony. Some speculate that all of the smaller Droyne polities are really part of a sort of secretive supra-polity known as the Droyne Oytrip Yatroy.

Hivers are a race of echinodermoid non-humanoids with a modified six-fold radial symmetry. They have no aural (spoken) language.

Despite their name Hivers actually have a highly individualistic society. They avoid direct violence and war whenever possible , preferring instead to work behind the scenes via all forms of covert manipulation. They take a maternal viewpoint to many other beings, preferring to raise as many of them to sophonce as possible. At the same time, their predilection for macrosocial manipulation intimidates many.

When humans first reached out to travel to the stars most were very surprised to find that other human species were already there. Three sub-species of humans independently developed jump drive technology and are therefore classified as Major Races in their own right.

The K'kree are a race of large, centauroid, and non-humanoid hexapods. They are intensely social herd sophonts and are rarely found alone. They are militant and often aggressive herbivores with a disdain for all meat eaters.

They aggressively oppose carnivorous and omnivorous species and their communal, collective, and claustrophobic psychology is very alien in outlook. They have a black and white morality that places most others in a "need to exterminate" category known as G'naak. In human terms, one might characterize them as "violently militant vegetarians". They are deeply spiritual and possess a will to survive that is matched by none. If one can get past their black and white philosophy, their gregarious, outgoing natures are beloved by many.

The Vargr are a bipedal canine slightly smaller than the average human. This species resembles Terranwolves because they most likely are. Wolves taken from Terra are widely believed to have been genetically manipulated by the Ancients to a bipedal form in an attempt to create suitable servants.

Their culture and society are highly dynamic, and has great difficulty maintaining lasting polities, but still has an intense racial pride and unity of the moment.

The Vargr Extents is the general term used for the area of Charted Space dominated by Vargr polities, which are inherently unstable and short-lived by the standards of Humaniti.

There are an incredible number of Vargr states, almost all of which are highly unstable and variable in government types. Vargr government is highly balkanized although if there were commonalities, they would be that Vargr tend towards the extreme ends of the government structure spectrum, either towards highly un-centralized government in the form of Confederations, or highly-centralized governments in the form of Empires with supreme autocrats.

The Solomani names derives from "Men of the Sol system." It is generally acknowledged that Terra is the original homeworld of Humaniti and that they were spread amongst the stars thousands of years ago by the Ancients. This, and the ease of which the Solomani defeated the Vilani in the Interstellar Wars are cited as arguments for the supremacy of pureblood Solomani by the Solomani Supremacy Movement. In truth very few human gene pools have diverged much and with much intermingling of Solomani and Vilani peoples during the Rule of Man it is almost impossible to distinguish between Solomani and Vilani (and some of the minor human races).

The Vilani developed on Vland. The Vilani are shorter, stronger, and much longer lived humans and the heirs to an incredible interstellar empire and culture. They were the first race of Humaniti to invent the jump drive, and created the First Imperium.

The Zhodani are taller humans who have built one of the most harmonious interstellar empires and cultures ever known. The Zhodani are known for their high level of psionic ability and its formal integration into their society.

The Zhodani government is known as the Zhodani Consulate and is a Psionic Democracy or a Democratic Republic. Some call it a psionic republic or a constitutional democratic republic based upon psionics. Whatever it may be, it is indisputable that the Zhodani have a far more peaceful, harmonious, and stable supra-polity than any other branch of humaniti.

Imperial Man is primarily a blend of Solomani and Vilani human subspecies, but it also includes genetic variation from many other Minor Human Races. It is widely believed that it has produced: increased genetic variation, physiological vigor, and psychological vigor. However, the term is more of a political designation than a scientific or biological one.

Other Claimants: Various other races have claimed to be Major Races based on their interstellar travel ability. Some races were later proved to have not developed jump technology themselves but rather found and/or reverse engineered jump drives from Ancients sites or lost modern ships of other races. Other were discounted because their interstellar travel depended on non-jump technologies such as generation ships or sleeper ships using suspended animation.

The Daryen are tall, thin, and willowy human technophiles. The Darrian never claimed to be a major race, having obtained the Jump Drive (and other advanced technology) from a group of Solomani explorers during the Rule of Man. The Daryen government is the Darrian Confederation.

The Geonee are short, squat, and muscular humans with a born mechanical aptitude and a large, former empire that was conquered by the Ziru Sirka. Vilani research during the First Imperium showed the Genoee had reverse engineered the Jump Drive from an Ancient archeological site on their home world.

The Suerrat are shorter, lithe, agile, and "ape-like" humans with a large, former empire that was conquered by the Ziru Sirka. The Suerrat claim to be a Major Race as they independently developed interstellar travel. However this was based on generation ships, not jump technology, so the claim is not accepted by other races who classify them as a Minor Race. They later acquired the jump drive from the Vilani. The Suerrat are part of the Third Imperium in 1116.

The Aslan Hierate is an expansionistic super power with a low level of unification expressed through the Tlaukhu. Population pressures expressed through the Ihatei complicate interstellar relations for the Aslan.

The Hive Federation has a goal to raise as many species as possible to sophonce. Hivers are friendly with all and eager to conduct mutually beneficial commerce. The Hivers are mysterious society and eager to manipulate others, a popular pastime for their species and society.

The Third Imperium is an expansionistic hyperpower. The Imperium has a societal goal to preserve order in the relative chaos of Charted Space. The relative federalism of the Imperium's "feudal confederation" sometimes leads local sub-polities (duchies, counties, etc.) to conduct interstellar relations contrary to the wishes of the Emperor. These differences don't tend to last for long.

The Solomani Confederation is an expansionistic super power with a noted chauvinism against non-humans.The Solomani have been exterminating nearby non-human societies and replacing them with humans and genetically engineered species of their own making known as Variant Races, mostly terragens species.

The K'kree have a societal goal to preserve the world for herbivores and eliminate carnivores. They have little to no hesitation against committing genocide against those in their way.The Two Thousand Worlds has many state secrets and many of their greater motivations remain in the shadows.

Vargr atttitudes are always loosely held, with many divergent ideas, since the Vargr Extents are an extremely poorly unified super-polity. However, the Vargr have a fierce racial loyalty and pride that allows them to come together in times of need. Several societies with in the Vargr Extents, notably the Julian Protectorate, have been successfully experimenting with racially integrated societies of many different species of sophonts. Few other societies can match the friendliness and openness to new ideas that is a hallmark of many Vargr societies.

The Zhodani major power is more likely to feel indifference than stronger negative relations. They have a societal goal to preserve the use of psionics and foster friendly psionic societies. They have a secretive civilization and it is very difficult to determine their true inclinations.